Details

He's the "Hottest MC in the Game" (11/21/14)

Is there a hotter artist in music right now than Kendrick Lamar? Not according to MTV, which in early 2013 crowned Lamar the No. 1 "Hottest MC in the Game." How prophetic.

Lamar went on to open 2014 with a total of seven Grammy nominations at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Best Rap Song. Though he didn't take home any of those trophies, he collected some hardware at the 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards and also earned a nomination for Best Male Hip Hop Artist at the 2014 BET Awards.

Lamar has been hard at work on a new album he hoped to have out by September. He's been hyping the record since the end of February, when he told Billboard magazine there was also the possibility of a debut effort from the Black Hippy collective. And while working on both of those projects, Lamart also managed to premiere his short film "m.A.A.d" at Sundance's inaugural NEXT Fest in Los Angeles on August 9.

On September 23, Lamar released a song titled "i," as the first single from his upcoming album. Then, on November 15, he once again appeared on NBC's famed "Saturday Night Live" as the musical guest, where he performed "i," as well as "Pay For It" alongside Jay Rock. Lamar performed on the show with blackout contacts and his braids partly out, paying homage to the 20th anniversary of the debut album of New York-based rapper Method Man.

About Kendrick Lamar - From Mixtapes to Master of his Craft (Updated November 28, 2012)

Like other rap and hip-hop artists who had come before him, Kendrick Lamar didn't turn heads with a media blitz or a reality show appearance. Instead, the youngster from California gained a following thanks to a series of mixtapes and a self-titled EP, not to mention the backing of some very powerful artists.

Lamar, who cites Tupac Shakur as his biggest influence, began recording mixtapes when he was just a teen. He released his first compilation in 2003 at the age of 16, and five years later made a cameo appearance in the music video for Jay Rock's debut single, "All My Life (In the Ghetto)." Still performing as "K-Dot," he dropped the stage name in 2009 to release the self-titled "Kendrick Lamar EP" in late 2009.

With a strong following and an upward career trajectory, Lamar toured with Jay Rock and Tech N9ne on "The Independent Grind" tour in 2010. That September, he also released "Overly Dedicated," a mixtape which garnered the attention of Dr. Dre and led to Lamar working with the legendary hip hop producer and Snoop Dog on Dre's "Detox" album.

In March 2012, Lamar entered into a joint venture deal with Top Dawg Entertainment, Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment. He premiered his commercial debut single, "The Recipe," the following month, and his first official album, "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City," bowed on October 22. It debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and earned the highest first-week hop hop album sales of 2012 for a male artist.

News

December 31, 2014

We've Predicted the Future: Top 10 Summer Concerts of 2015

This summer was one for the books. Megastars in music aligned to bring us monster tours and epic collaborations, and plenty of our favorite artists came back from the dead (literally and figuratively) to give us new tunes and live performances. While summer 2014 may be over, we can't help but look ahead to next…

This summer was one for the books. Megastars in music aligned to bring us monster tours and epic collaborations, and plenty of our favorite artists came back from the dead (literally and figuratively)…

Remember, way back in 2008, when there was a rad music festival held in Pemberton Valley, BC? And then it was cancelled in 2009 and 2010, all but disappearing? Well, the Pemberton Music Festival is fi…